Sherpa Questions? How does it work? What to expect?

[jeff scheetz]

Hey all!

I wanted to start this thread to answer any questions that someone who is thinking about signing up for a Sherpa plan might have. I get a lot of emails asking about how the lessons work and thought this would be a great place to discuss the ins and outs of it to help anyone who is considering personal lessons with a "Sherpa". So feel free to jump in here!

[richb2]

I am taking Sherpa with Sheryl Bailey and I can tell you how it works for me. I have been talking Sherpa lessons with Sheryl for about 9 months and her class is called the bebop dojo. For me it has all been about learning tunes. For example, I will pick out a tune (out of the jazz standards Real Book) and do a recording of me comping and soloing over Band In A Box on it. I use Band In A Box, but I don't think most other students use it. Anyway, I record this video and send it to her. In a few days she looks it over and records a video in response, where she shows me pointers on what I am doing wrong and doing right.

She will often ask me to review one of her pre-recorded classes on the topic that she thinks I need to add into my playing. In a few days I will record that same tune trying to incorporate what I have learned. We go back and forth on this same tune 2 or 3 times until I get bored with the tune, and then I do a new tune. In addition to that I will occasionally email her a theory question which she sometimes answers by sending me a personalized video and sometimes answers with an email occassionally referencing one of her classes (and the class section of Bebop dojo has a really huge number of classes).

[jeff scheetz]

Good stuff Rich!

That is one really cool thing about the Sherpa classroom for me. I have had a couple of students who have actually worked through one of my courses - but then I ask them to record one of the lessons from that course - that makes it soooo different when you have to record it and send it in - than if you just sort of "work through it" like we all do on certain lessons. I had one student say "I THOUGHT I had that down until I recorded it!!"

So when I can actually watch the vid of them doing it - I can provide feedback to get it just right. I wish EVERY TrueFire course could have students work through each lesson with the teacher who recorded it!!! Here in the Sherpa classrooms we are working on that!!

JS

[docbop]

Had to stop playing for awhile (sometimes you have to give in to life and paying bills) so hoping once I get the rust off the fingers I will be good enough to sign up for Sheryl Bailey's Boppin' Dojo. Good reading rich2b description it sounds great.